Why I love Valencia, Spain's sunny citrus-filled city

Santa Barbara Castle with Alicante Panorama Aerial View, Alicante, Spain

Learn all about what makes the cuisine of this Spanish city so special from local chef Eduardo Idrobo. From iconic paella to citrus and local signature drinks, there is plenty for foodies to enjoy.

Want to learn more about regional cuisine? Check out our guides to the cuisines of Trentino in Italy, Istria in Croatia, the Algarve in Portugal or Cork in Ireland.

Valencia cuisine: 10 things I love

Gamba roja

This Mediterranean red prawn is deeply embedded in our cuisine and considered one of the most exceptional seafoods around the world. Its red colour is a result of the depth at which the prawns live in the sea, which contributes to the intensity of flavour and natural sweetness. The texture is very delicate, almost like butter.

Fresh prawns on ice on market stall in Barcelona, Spain

Rice

Rice is the most important ingredient in our culture, we use it as a transmitter of flavours. There are three different varieties. The first is bomba, a short-grain rice cultivated in Albufera Natural Park, which is great at absorbing broth. The second is albufera and the third is senia. These are both considered good but don’t hold up as well when cooked over fire. Bomba allows you to play more with it.

Paella valenciana

Paella valenciana is our most iconic dish. It traditionally contains chicken, rabbit, garrofón beans (a type of butter bean), artichokes and runner beans, though ingredients vary depending on where you are in the region. You’ll find snails and pork near the mountains, and seafood on the coast. Paella is not just a dish but a ritual that we usually cook on Sunday, similar to a Sunday roast, over a fire pit and enjoy with friends. Fire itself is embedded within the paella tradition – it’s considered an important ingredient that adds smokiness.

Las Fallas

This is a major festival held annually in March where locals build huge satirical sculptures that are set alight at the end of the celebrations. At the fairs you’ll find people selling a dessert called buñuelos de calabaza, which is fried pumpkin dough sprinkled with sugar, often paired with hot chocolate.

Citrus

Valencia once was the principal exporter of oranges across Europe due to its warm climate and soil, which is perfect for citrus, particularly sweet oranges. Oranges play a key role in daily life – we tend to start the day with an orange juice paired with pan tomate, and also use them in desserts such as cake or flan.

Valencia Mediterranean city with orange trees ornamenting and decorating its streets. Signal city centre in the local language, Valencian.

Agua de Valencia

Everyone from Valencia drinks this cocktail made from a base of cava, Cointreau, water and orange juice. We have it as an aperitif and drink it in social settings with friends. It was created to use up the products you had available, resulting in many personal variations.

Horchata

This is a nutty, soft drink made by soaking dried tiger nuts in water, then blending with water and sugar before pressing out the liquid and serving cold. It’s milky and refreshing, popular with kids, and we usually drink it in the morning paired with sugar-glazed brioche fartons.

The importance of lunch

Valencians truly respect lunchtime. At around 2pm everyone stops what they’re doing for a one- to two-hour break back at home. The shops are closed, the world stops. This is why most dishes are to share, including paella valenciana, fideuà (a short noodle dish cooked in a paella pan), vegetarian rice with artichoke, garlic and leeks, and coca bread (similar to pinsa and focaccia).

Mountain produce

Another beautiful part of the Valencian community is that as you move to closer to the mountains there is even more variety of amazing produce. You’ll find snails, rabbits, mushrooms and garrofón beans, which have a very smoky flavour when you cook them over fire.

Marcona almonds

These almonds are indigenous to Spain and they have been eaten in the Valencia region for centuries. They are usually served as a snack with a beer in bars, as well as being incorporated into savoury and sweet dishes.